Category: Revival

2022 Inspirational Faith List of Influential Preachers, Pastors, Evangelists and Ministries Living in the United States

Posted on by Loretta Gardner

A Five Year Milestone

Loretta Gardner, Editor

Since 2016, Inspirational Faith Magazine has been publishing articles that are meant to support the men and women promoting and inspiring Christianity throughout the United States.  This year, we recognize both new and previous names and groups to the list as a tribute to five years of this series.

2022 Influential Pastors, Preachers, Ministries and Evangelists

Steven Furtick (2022) is a founder and the lead pastor of Elevation Church in North Carolina.  Steven Furtick Ministries is a global ministry through online streaming, television, and the music of Elevation Worship. He is a pastor, songwriter, & New York Times best-selling author. He and his ministry provide examples of leadership for small churches to reach out within their community.

Craig Groeschel & Bobby Gruenwald (2022, 2020/2019) As leaders of Life Church and both integral to You Version Bible, these men have contributed on a global scale. You Version Bible reaches millions of people each day. Life Church is a multi-site church, a forerunner in online distance sermon and worship.

Priscilla Shirer (2022, 2020/2019) Author, actress, motivational speaker, and Christian evangelist, Priscilla Shirer is effective at teaching and preaching the gospel to women. She is participating in a country wide revival in 2022 and inspires both men and women as a motivational Christian speaker.

Max Lucado (2022, 2021,2020/2019,2017,2016) Pastor of Oak Hills Church in Texas, author of multiple books, known for being an encouragement to all, even when called in challenge on his views of homosexuality in 2021 at the National Cathedral.

John Collins (2022, 2021, 2020/2019, 2017, 2016) A leader among the country’s community churches, Pastor John continues to set the example for revival of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.   His church, River Terrace Cowboy Church in Chillicothe, Illinois, acts as a central location across the United States for revival. In addition to Christian internet programming, syndicated radio and television broadcasts, he is featured on TCT.tv, Tri-county Christian Television that is seen in media formats across the United States and internationally. Pastor John has served as panel member and host for Ask the Pastor, featured on Prayer on Purpose, and serves as pastoral guidance to Nashville musicians.

Charles Stanley (2022, 2021, 2017, 2016) Now pastor emeritus of First Baptist Church Atlanta, he continues to reach for his goal to get the gospel to “as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, as clearly as possible, as irresistibly as possible, through the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God” through radio, television and Internet broadcasts, reaching globally and touching locally in the community of Atlanta, Georgia.

Franklin Graham (2022, 2020/2019, 2017, 2016) Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Association are now both led by Franklin Graham since the passing of his father, Billy Graham.  Currently involved in matters in the Ukraine, both associations have historically been reaching across the world through evangelism and the gospel.

Other members of the last 5 issues include:

Billy Graham, Rick Warren, John MacArthur, Andy Stanley, Warren Wiersbe, Barbara Brown Taylor, Tim Keller, Charles Swindoll, Bill Hybels, Robert Morris, Mike Higgins, Jen Wilkin, James Bryan Smith, Dr. Reverend Bernice King, Kanye West, Lysa TerKuerst, Chris Hodges, Greg Laurie, Joel Osteen, Victoria Osteen, Paula White, TD Jakes, Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer, John Grey, Jimmy Swaggert, Jim Bakker, Benny Hinn, Pat Robertson, Times Square Church, Teen and Adult Challenge, and Crowder.

The contributors for Inspirational Faith are independent writers, and content for articles written is chosen by a collaborative panel. Influential does not necessarily mean positive. We recognize that there are many who are not chosen and welcome feedback from the readers. It is our feeling that revival, while demonstrated in large scale media presentations, will happen as small community churches and local groups link arms and hands.  These establishments will look to those who are positively promoting and inspiring Christianity, such as those mentioned in this article. Thank you to all who contributed.

Inspirational Faith and Revival, featuring Pastor John Collins, River Terrace Cowboy Church

Posted on by Loretta Gardner

Compiled by Kurt Sowers, Tawneeshah King, and Ellen Forsythe

Pastor John Collins, River Terrace Cowboy Church and Revival

In the small town of Chillicothe (pronounced chi – luh – KAH – thee), Illinois is a church called River Terrace Cowboy Church, led by Pastor John Collins, an evangelist known for his down to earth and no nonsense style of revival and redeeming the Gospel. He is involved with national and international media broadcasting, connected with musicians and promoters alike out of Nashville, Tennessee, has been awarded much recognition for his evangelism and style of preaching, as well as presides over multiple Christian and Evangelistic alliances and consortiums.

Why isn’t this man leading a mega church?

We have been following outstanding pastors for over ten years, and repeatedly, Pastor John Collins defines the term revival. Revival is what the United States needs, right now. Christians pray for revival, to bring church and God back to everyday life, to end the sorrow of families, individuals, children, and communities.  Speaking without regard to race, creed, color and ethnicity, Pastor John Collins declares “it’s not about race, it’s about Grace!” So why is this man in a small community church in a small town in Illinois?

We think it’s because he chooses to be there, but we also think it’s because God put him there.  Why not a small town?  Didn’t Jesus Christ Himself come from the small backwater town of Nazareth in Israel? This man, Pastor John Collins, preaches as if to large crowds, no matter where he preaches, and rightly so.  His broadcasts and YouTubes and podcasts reach across to every state, and according to one source, about 35 countries. Millions have heard him. 

Revival and redeeming the Gospel

We, the United States, have fallen so far from what God intended this country to be.  Not only is revival needed, but the people on the pulpits are preaching a thinned out Gospel.  Old Testament is forgotten, New Testament is altered and what Paul and other apostles preached against in the Bible is occurring again as it did in the days and years after Jesus was crucified. What was original is forgotten, or reworded, or even ignored as today’s preachers seek to draw attention to themselves and what they are doing, instead of the mighty saving power of salvation that was bought with the very life of Jesus Christ hanging on a tree of crucifixion having done nothing to deserve it but be obedient to His Father so that all humanity could be saved. Each and every sermon and presentation by Pastor John Collins calls for listeners to change our hearts and minds and turn toward Jesus, that the time is coming soon for God to do something unexpected and phenomenal.  Pastor John Collins not only revives faith, but he redeems and revives the very Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Our opinion is that Pastor John Collins could lead a megachurch.  He certainly has a large following from across this country and the world.  We believe he is humble, and has won the approval of God by his humility, honesty, and pure love for the Cross and it’s salvation.  We, however, hope one day soon he has the opportunity to be the best example of a pastor of a megachurch and lead revival across the United States!

2021 Mid-year Top Influential Pastors, Ministries, and Evangelists of the United States

Posted on by Loretta Gardner

A Mid-year Survey

Generally, Inspirational Faith Magazine posts the annual survey of Pastors, Ministries and Evangelists at the beginning of a year. COVID-19 affected the scheduling and release of this annual survey at the end of 2019, therefore, we have chosen to “catch-up” the series with this mid-year release of a 2021 survey done across the 50 states and Puerto Rico.

Influential Pastors, Ministries and Evangelists

Rick Warren.  Pastor of  Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, Saddleback Church is is noted to be the largest church in California, and one of the largest in the United States.  Pastor Rick, as he is known, is recognized as an author of several books, including the Purpose Driven Life and God’s Answers to Life’s Difficult Questions. In addition, Pastor Rick established the Purpose Driven Network and Pastors.com as resources for pastors and mentoring for new pastors.

Dr. Charles Stanley. Dr. Stanley is pastor emeritus of First Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia.  He has spread the gospel around the world through the ministry of In Touch Ministries, founded in the 1970’s. In Touch Ministries includes intouch.org, In Touch devotional magazine, and books and broadcasts authored by Dr. Charles Stanley.

Pastor John Collins.  Pastor John, as he is called, leads the way for revival of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.   His church, River Terrace Cowboy Church in Chillicothe, Illinois, acts as a central location across the United States for revival. In addition to Christian internet programming, syndicated radio and television broadcasts, he is featured on TCT.tv, Tri-county Christian Television that is seen across media formats across the United States and internationally,  Pastor John has served as panel member and host for Ask the Pastor, and has been featured on Prayer on Purpose.

Lysa TerKuerst. Currently the president of Proverbs 31 Ministries, Lysa has written multiple books providing help to women seeking God. Having endured challenges to her faith, her personal life is a testimony to women.  Her books help women to focus on forgiveness of self and learning to live well again as Christians. Among her best sellers is Forgiving What You Can’t Forget: Discover How to Move On, Make Peace with Painful Memories which has received critical acclaim and recognition on best seller lists.

Max Lucado.  Pastor and author, Max Lucado reaches out from Oak Hills Church, San Antonio, Texas.  His stories and books continue to delight children and adults alike while teaching Bible lessons in an easily understood and memorable fashion. His writings also include television shows and movies, which preach and teach memorable lessons.

Chris Hodges. For twenty years, Pastor Hodges has grown Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, Alabama. Connecting church with community, his church became the largest in Alabama.  Amidst a feeding frenzy of negative social media accusations in 2020 and cancel culture, Pastor Hodges has continued to reach out to communities in unity of Christianity, recognizing that race has no place in the kingdom of God or the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Greg Laurie. Harvest Churches in Riverside and Irvine, California and a location in Maui are the reach of Pastor Greg Laurie. Since the early 1970’s, Pastor Laurie has been involved in ministry, speaking on syndicated Christian television and radio, producing movies, working with Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, writing, and yearly Harvest Crusades to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Other noted influences

Crowder

With songs such as Red Letters, I Know A Ghost, and in 2021 the chart topping Good God Almighty, David Crowder has been drawing people to Jesus through his music and performances, reaching across social barriers of generations and race.

You Version Bible

Created by Bobby Gruenewald and others at Life.Church (under the direction of Craig Groeschel), the You Version downloadable Bible app reaches countries around the world, including third world and Christian oppressing countries. It is translated into multiple languages, printed in multiple versions of the Bible and provides access to the Bible at a finger touch, with children’s resources, Bible study plans, daily verses, podcasts and more.

Times Square Church and Adult and Teen Challenge

Continuing as a leading source of rehabilitation and renewal since the death of its founder, Reverend David Wilkerson, Adult and Teen Challenge with Times Square Church offers Christ based long term rehabilitation to people struggling from addictions across the United States and around the globe.  Headquartered in Columbus, Georgia, it has reached out with services since 1961.

Prosperity, Prophesy, and Deliverance Doctrines

Jesus Christ Himself cautioned against false prophets and those who would twist the words and works of God to suit themselves for personal gain. The glory goes to and is for God, not man. Pastors call the following out as individuals or ministries who pander God for their personal gain, and unfortunately have misled followings.  They are among many and are not limited to those listed who continue to influence faith today: Kenneth Copeland,  Jimmy Swaggert, Joel and Victoria Osteen, Benny Hinn, Pat Robertson, Joyce Meyer, and Paula White.